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  • The footballer who forced his government to feed hungry children.

  • Fight for your black friends. Defend your black colleagues.

  • And the young student who got her community active

  • and fighting for their rights.

  • We'll show you what qualities these young leaders showed

  • in fighting for something they believe in.

  • Marcus Rashfordin action for Manchester United.

  • Not the obvious person you'd expect to help fight hunger and poverty.

  • The Covid pandemic: children in the UK were sent home from school

  • and many poorer children no longer got free school meals.

  • Marcus wanted to help get food to those that needed the most.

  • He wrote a letter to the government, calling on them to end child poverty.

  • Unlike many in the British government,

  • Marcus had come from a poor background.

  • You know, what families are going through now

  • I once had to go through that same system

  • and it's very difficult to... to find the way out, but...

  • now that I'm in this position that I'm in,

  • it's... it's very important for me to...

  • to help the people that are struggling and...

  • that was the main reason why the letter was... was written.

  • Public support for the footballer grew.

  • He became a leading voice in the campaign to end child food poverty.

  • He got the British government to carry on giving free food

  • to those that needed it,

  • with the support of thousands of people.

  • How did he do it?

  • The personal connection that Marcus Rashford

  • has to the cause is very important,

  • because of his strong belief

  • and conviction that child poverty is not something

  • that should be allowed in society,

  • and because he has experienced it,

  • he knows that this is a cause that can...

  • is as important and even bigger than football.

  • So, Marcus Rashford's personal connection

  • to the cause is important here.

  • And we can see how that motivates him.

  • Although there is so much you can get from being a footballer,

  • there is a bigger cause in societyin this case child poverty

  • that is bigger than football and he sees that as a vision

  • and feels that he has a position in power

  • to be able to influence that.

  • So, Marcus Rashford sees the bigger picture.

  • He knows there are many children experiencing hunger like he did

  • and this drives his leadership.

  • Marcus Rashford feels he's got a role to play in fighting child poverty,

  • because he's in a... a position as a professional footballer,

  • and he has the vision and the honesty and simple way,

  • in which he communicates and drives that vision,

  • pulls people around him

  • and creates a team spirit within the community,

  • such that even politicians are challenged to try to do more.

  • Marcus Rashford knows he has a role to play.

  • His passion and commitment draws people to the cause

  • and his message cannot be ignored,

  • even by the politicians.

  • He's able to stay the course,

  • irrespective of what people might say or want him to do.

  • He knows that he has to stay the course

  • to be able to achieve his vision,

  • because that is what he has been doing most of his life.

  • So, resilience and persistence are important character traits here,

  • and enable you to stand firm in the face of criticism.

  • But what if you aren't a high-profile footballer?

  • The killing of George Floyd, a black man,

  • at the hands of a white police officer

  • was caught on video and led to massive protests

  • around the world.

  • Boni Adeliyi, a student from the UK,

  • decided to join the growing movement

  • Fight for your black friends! Defend your black colleagues!

  • Boni organised a protest in her home town

  • She set it up in just two days.

  • So, what were Boni's experiences of leadership?

  • I didn't watch the video,

  • but I felt the, like...

  • I felt the effects of that...

  • Sorry.

  • I felt the effects of that immediately,

  • because just hearing about it is enough

  • to shake somebody, I think.

  • Boni Adeliyi, as a black woman, had been personally affected

  • by the killing and wanted to respond.

  • I tried to make sure that this protest

  • is not linked to any political party,

  •   any local agendanothing.

  • This is about black people having a space to grieve

  • and if you are a self-proclaimed ally and you want to support,

  • then you have a space to come and support.

  • Boni knew others felt the same way as her

  • and wanted to give them an opportunity to come together.

  • She also knew she was putting herself at risk.

  • As somebody in charge, you take full accountability

  • for everything that happens,

  • and knowing that,

  • you have to be ready for things to go wrong:

  • things to not go your way,

  • for people to hurl abuse at you,

  • like... I think, knowing that

  •   before you decide to take something on is really, really important,

  • because self-awareness should let you know

  • whether or not you can... you can hold that.

  • Boni took a risk

  • and accepted personal responsibility for the event,

  • knowing it might not go well.

  • This makes her a believable leader.

  • She also thinks it's important

  • to not forget the issue you are fighting for.

  • Honour the people that you've come to serve,

  • because I think it's about leading and taking charge, sure

  • but it's also about serving.

  • You're there to... I organised a protest, but it...

  • it was... it was to serve... it was to serve my community.

  • I... I don't know how else to phrase that.

  • But, when... when you lead, you also serve.

  • And that's... there's lot of humility that comes with that, I think.

  • I was, like I said, very humbled

  • by the end of that protest,

  • humbled to my absolute... to the absolute extreme.

  • Boni says she was humbled.

  • She didn't see herself as bigger than the cause.

  • People are more likely to follow her because of this.

  • So, to lead for a cause, you need to show your connection to the cause.

  • You might need to take a real risk.

  • And you should rememberyou're not bigger than the cause itself:

  • be humble.

The footballer who forced his government to feed hungry children.

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